This report looks at the reading engagement of children aged 8 to 18 in Scotland, based on data gathered from 1,141 pupils across eight schools in 2023. The survey was conducted between January and the middle of March 2023. Slightly more girls (58.8%; n = 635) than boys (41.2%; n = 445) participated from Scotland. There is also data from 33…

In 2016, we recorded the highest levels of reading enjoyment to date, with nearly 6 in 10 saying that they enjoy reading either very much or quite a lot. Read more about children's and young people's reading enjoyment, based on our seventh annual literacy survey which we conducted in November/December 2016. 42,406 children and young people aged…

The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory study was to discover the impact on adolescent reading motivation as students were given an opportunity to select recreational reading material and read consistently during class time. This study also explored the motivational impact of student engagement from dialogue with peers about their reading…

"Reading maturity" is a construct that looks broadly at reading development encompassing not only basic reading skills but reading habits, attitudes, and dispositions. It has a rich history and this article calls for a need to make reading maturity a necessary part of the literacy curriculum. It offers a working description and reviews…

A mixed method study explored a theoretical model that employed, combined, and added to the theories of self-determination, the reading engagement perspective, and the four-phase model of interest to motivate adolescent struggling readers to read for pleasure. The model adds to the existing body of research because it specifies an instructional…

Can students read difficult but self-selected texts--and if so, how? In this article we describe what we learned about middle school students' use of background knowledge and specific vocabulary from interviews and surveys in our longitudinal study of magazine reading habits. Then we discuss the implications of these findings for structuring…

The results of an informal survey of young teens and young adults in the San Francisco Bay area indicate what they read for pleasure. Lists of the ten most popular books, authors and subjects are given. (SJ)

All public, private and parochial schools in the city of Baltimore were polled to find out what young adults were reading on their own time for pleasure. The most popular teen titles in each school, as well as the overall top ten titles for the city are given. (NH)

Discusses the appeal of romance fiction for adolescent girls, particularly the "Sweet Valley High" series, and summarizes some research in the area. Topics addressed include reading preferences of teenage girls, sales and marketing of romances, literary criticisms, what readers gain from the books, and what constitutes good pleasure…

Explores the enormous attraction for young readers of series books (such as Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and currently "The Baby-Sitters Club"). Discusses what children might learn from such reading, often thought of as pap literature by adults. (SR)

In this article we describe the leisure reading practices and attitudes towards reading of two cohorts of teenage boys and their parents from one educated, middle-class school community in Australia. Leisure reading refers to free choice or recreational reading across a range of genres (e.g., fiction/nonfiction) and modes (e.g., print/electronic).…

The books listed in this annotated bibliography, selected to provide pleasurable reading for high school students, are arranged alphabetically by author under 35 main categories: (1) adventure and adventurers; (2) animals; (3) art and architecture; (4) biography; (5) careers and people on the job; (6) cars and airplanes; (7) great books that are…

The books listed in this annotated bibliography, selected to provide pleasurable reading for high school students, are arranged alphabetically by author under 49 main categories, including the following: (1) adventure and survival; (2) animals and pets; (3) archaeology and anthropology; (4) art and architecture; (5) biography and autobiography;…

Presents an interview with Greg Bear and David Brin, two science fiction writers who started Reading for the Future, an international project geared toward secondary school students that shows teachers and librarians how science fiction inspires young readers. Discusses programs that have come out of this group; standards for books geared toward…

Explores adolescent use of the media for leisure and, in particular, adolescent leisure reading of books. Surveys adolescents to measure the popularity of leisure reading compared to other leisure options, with a view toward contrasting female and male leisure reading pursuits. Finds that reading is popular with adolescents and that females favor…